


Gather Up Every Wayward Lock

by Redrikki



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-05
Updated: 2013-12-05
Packaged: 2018-01-03 12:53:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1070676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The girls do their hair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gather Up Every Wayward Lock

Katara braids her hair. Mom used to do it for her. She’d comb it first with long, luxurious strokes until it flowed smooth and shimmering as a waterfall. Then she’d divide it and braid it up with shell beads and bits of pretty. But mom is gone now and the only hair style dad knows is a wolf tale, so Katara braids her own hair. It always pulls to the right and it’s not the same.

***

One of her attendants pulls her hair too hard and Azula smacks the woman across the face with the offending brush. Her mother actually makes her apologize to the stupid cow-hippo and declares that Azula will do her own hair until she learns that servants are a privilege and not a right. She stands by while Azula struggles and with every frown of her tutors at her sloppy top-knot Azula feels a stab of hate.

The next morning her hair is an elephant-rat’s nest and Azula is too angry to cry. Her mother stops her before she can hack it off or set it on fire. 

“You have such beautiful hair,” she sighs as she de-tangles the knots and brushes out the mess gentler than even the most attentive servant. Azula considers chopping it all off anyway, just on principle, but ends up leaning into the brush strokes instead.

***

Every morning Mu Yin does Top’s hair. It’s just another thing Toph is too blind and helpless to do on her own like getting dressed, walking the garden unattended and blowing on her own soup. Every morning Mu Yin tames Toph’s bed-head, twisting and tucking her hair into submission behind the confinement of her headband. The old servant is so gentle and determinately kind Toph just wants to scream.

The night Toph sneaks out of bed to her first Earth Rumble she slips on the boy-peasant clothing she stole and tries to deal with her hair. She twists and tucks, but her bangs still escape her headband to brush her cheeks and nose. It’s not perfect but it’s all her and that’s the best it’s ever been.


End file.
